Lens mounting for lamp casings



E. G. K. ANDERSON LENS MOUNTING FOR LAMP CASINGS Filed Feb. 3. 1921 i l lmul" Patented July 24, 1923.

UNITED STATES Med? PATET OFFICE.

ERNST G. K. ANDERSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY IVIESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, T0 APPLETON ELECTRIC 00.,

OF ILLINOIS.

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION LENS MOUNTING FOR LAMP CASINGS.

Application filed February 3, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNST G. K. ANDER- SON, a citizen of the United, States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lens Mountings for Lamp Casings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a novel lens mounting for lamp casing, such, for in stance, as head lamps and spot lamps for vehicles, and refers more particularly to a novel frame for locking the lens to the open side of the casing and forming a weather proof joint thereat and to means to tension the frame member or ring that fastens the lens to the casing.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a resilient ring-like frame member which surrounds the lens and the open side of the casing and embraces the parts in a manner to resiliently and firmly hold the lens across the front of the casing without imposing a crushing stress on the lens.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lens mounting of this character having locking means to clamp it in place, so constructed and arranged with respect to the frame member as to be embedded in said member, thereby avoiding projections beyond said frame member that are liable to catch the fabric of the clothing of the person handling the lamp, or of a cleaning cloth used to clean the lamp, and which also improves the appearance of the lamp as a whole.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in combination with a peculiar type of ring mounting, means to provide a weatherproof joint between the margin of the lens and the lamp casing and to prevent the rattling of the parts.

Further objects of the invention are to generally improve and simplify lens mountings for lamp casings, and the invention consists in the combination and arrangement of the parts shown in the drawings and described in the specification, and is pointed out in the appended claims.

Serial No. 442,158.

As shown in the drawings;

Figure 1 is a front View of a lens mounting embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a side view thereof.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevation with parts broken away and other parts in section to better illustrate the concealed clamping or tension elements of the locking means.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 3, showing the mounting ring and its fastening device separate from the lamp casing.

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary, longitudinal section of the central partof the rim at the meeting ends thereof on line 6-6 of Figure 2.

Figures 7 and 8 are perspective views of the tension clips forming parts of the ring locking means.

As shown in the drawings, 10 designates the forward end of a lamp casing of known form in respect of its general contour. .It is provided at its front or open side with a radial flange 11 (Figure 4), and beyond said flange with an annular rim l2. Said flange and rim constitutean annular recess to re ceive the margin of the usual crown lens 13. Between the body of the lamp casing 10 and the annular rim 12 the casing is annularly depressed to form a forwardly rounded annular shoulder 14 to constitute therebetween and the rim 12 an annular seat to receive and confine a compressible packing member 15, against which the edge of the lens is adapted to be pressed to provide a weather-proof joint between the lens and the open side of the casing and to confine the parts from rattling.

16 designates a circular frame which surrounds the lens and open side of the easing and embraces the same in a manner to press or hold the lens 18 firmly in place. Said frame is of general channel shape in cross section. It comprises a central web 17 and rear and front radial flange mem bers 18, 19, respectively. The rear flange 18 fits flat against and in rear of the flange 1.1 and the front flange, which is preferably radially deeper than the rear flange, bears against the crown lens well inside its margin. The said frame is preferably made lows of a single piece of resilient metal by a suitable swaging operation and is transversely divided at 20. The resiliency thereof is such as to permit it to be opened or expanded to be removed from the lamp casing and lens and to automatically spring into closing position when again placed over the margins of the casing and the lens.

At the sides of the transverse opening 20 of said frame are located tension means by which to draw the end margins of the frame toward each other and thereby decrease the diameter of the ring and clamp it in place about the casing and lens. The means for thus clamping the frame in place are so constructed and are of such dimensions as to be contained or embedded within thehollow ring frame between the rim 12 of the lamp casing and the web 17 of the channel shaped frame, so that all parts of the clamping means lie within the curved outline of the frame periphery, so as to present a peripherally smooth mounting ring. Said tension means, as herein shown, are made as fol- 21, 22 designate tension clips, one at each side of the joint 20, which are attached at their outer ends by rivets 23 to the web member 17 of the ring frame on the inner side of said web member. The clips extend from their points of attachment to the ring member toward each other and terminate short of said joint 20.

The web 17 is cut away opposite to the tension clip 21 to provide a short slot 25 and at the end of said slot, adjacent to the joint, the metal of the web is cut and is forced inwardly to form a short spur or ledge 26 inside said web. At the other side of the'joint 20 the metal of the web is likewise cut and pressed inwardly to form a ledge or spur 28 within and opposite to an opening 29 in the web formed by cutting away and pressing inwardly the element 28, as best shown in Figure 6.

The clip 21 is formed to provide at its free end a radially turned portion 30 that is formed with an opening 31 to receive a headed clamping screw 32 hereinafter to be described. Beyond said out-turned portion 30 the member 21 is formed with a terminal 33 that fits outside of and lies on the spur or ledge 26, said terminal being flush with the periphery of the ring web. The tension clip 22 is likewise formed at its end adjacent to the clamping screw 32 with an out-turned or radial portion 3 1 that is formed with an internally threaded nipple 35 to receive the threaded clamping screw 32, and said clip is provided therebeyond with a terminal portion 36 that lies against and is supported by the adjacent spur or ledge 28. The tension clip 21 is provided interior of the radial or out-turned portion 30 with an opening 37 to receive the head 38 of the clamping screw 32, the inner side of said head bearing against the outer face of the laterally turned portion 30 of said clip. The opening 37 provides clearance space for a screw head of ample size, and its presence also enables the screw head to be embedded entirely within the ring, while maintaining the radial depth of the ring within suitable dimensions.

The locking means described are simple, inexpensive, and can be readily applied and are solidly supported when fitted in place, being reliably supported on the ring frame at both the inner and outer ends of said clips. Thus the power of the screw can be and lens to hold the lens reliably in place,'

yetsuch pressure will not be a crushing pressure to fracture the lens.

It is to be understood that the structural details are capable of some variations within the spirit and scope of the claims hereto appended, and that the invention is not, therefore, limited to the particular details disclosed except as they may be made the subject of specific claims and as imposed by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

l. A transversely divided resilient lens mountingring having a smooth periphery concentric to the ring axis and adapted to encircle the uncture of the casing and lens margin, and means embedded within the circumference of said ring to close the ring on the lens and lamp casing.

2. A transversely divided resilient lens mounting ring adapted to encircle the juncture of the casing and lens margin, and screw threaded means tangent to a circle concentric to the axis of the lens and with in the circun'iference of said ring to close the, ring on the lens and lamp casing.

3. A hollow lens mounting ring for a lamp casing transversely divided at one point. and means concealed within said ring radially exterior to the lens and radially within the ring circumference to close th ring on the lens margin and a shouldered part of the lamp casing.

4t. A lens mounting for lamp'casings comprising a hollow member transversely divided at one point and adapted to enclose an annular shouldered part of the casing and having members, one adapted to bear on the front face of the lens near its margin and the other adapted to bear against the shouldered part of the casing, and means contained wholly within the circumferential line of said ring to close the ring on the casing and lens.

5. A transversely divided lens mounting ring of channel cross section for a lamp casing adapted to surround the lens margin and the casing, with one flange adapted to bear on the lens and the other adapted to bear on an annular shoulder of the casing, and tension means embedded wholly within the ring between said flanges for closing the ring on the lens and casing.

6. A channel cross-section lens mounting ring for a lamp casing, one flange of Which is adapted to bear on the lens and the other adapted to bear-on an annular shoulder of the casing, and screw threaded means located radially exterior to the lens and between the flanges of said ring radially within its circumference to close the ring on the casing and lens margin.

7. A hollow lens mounting ring for a lamp casing transversely divided at one point, tension clips enclosed wholly within and attached at their remote ends to the ring at the sides of the transverse division and extending towards each other, and clamping means also wholly within the hollow ring connecting the adjacent ends of the tension clips.

8. A transversely divided lens mounting ring of channel cross section for a lamp casing adapted to surround the juncture between the margin of the lens and the casing, with its flanges respectively overlying the lens near its margin and a shouldered part on the casing, tension clips wholly within said ring radially exterior to the lens and attached at their remote ends to said ring and supported at their adjacent ends on the ring at the sides of the transverse division, and clamping means and wholly within the ring acting on said clips for closing the ring on the lens and casing.

9. A hollow, transversely divided lens mounting ring for removably fixing a lens to a lamp casing, tension clips embedded in said ring radially exterior to the lens and attached at their remote ends to said ring said ring being formed with inwardly pressed ledges and the adjacent ends of the clips having terminals that lie on said ledges to interlock the inner ends of the clips with the ring, and means acting on said clips to draw them together.

In witness whereof I claim the foregoing as my invention. I hereunto append my signature this 31 day of January, 1921.

ERNST G. K. ANDERSON. 

